colloquialism

American  

[kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhm] / kəˈloʊ kwi əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. a colloquial expression.

2. colloquial style or usage.

---

colloquialism British  

/ kəˈləʊkwɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a word or phrase appropriate to conversation and other informal situations

2. the use of colloquial words and phrases

---

Other Word Forms

• colloquialist noun

Etymology

Origin of colloquialism

First recorded in 1800–10; colloquial + -ism

Example Sentences

“I laugh because I’m like, con el nopal en la frente,” she said, lightly slapping her forehead after uttering a colloquialism often used to emphasize someone’s evident Mexican roots via their appearance.

From Los Angeles Times

Almost everyone who frequents the market are Chapines, a popular colloquialism used to refer to someone of Guatemalan descent.

From Los Angeles Times

“Dooring” and “doored,” colloquialisms among bicyclists, refer to a collision caused by a driver or passenger opening a car door into an oncoming cyclist.

From Los Angeles Times

“Gun embodiment gets at the idea of the old colloquialism ‘When you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’”

From New York Times

Yankee colloquialisms such as “I guess” and “You bet” echoed from Piccadilly Circus to Regent Street.

From Washington Post